PREPARING

FOR THE FIRST

WEEKS OF

SCHOOL

August 2011

Luisa PaningbatanOffice of Teacher

Recruitment and Quality

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PREPARING FOR THE FIRST WEEKS

OF SCHOOL

Agenda

• Rationale

• Prepare the Classroom

• Prepare the Students

• Classroom Management

• Maximize Academic Learning Time

• Engage the School Community

• What Teachers Should Strive to Accomplish During the First

Three Weeks

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Why Prepare for the First Weeks?

Create a plan that address how the classroom will function and how students should interact with the teacher and fellow classmates

Establish authority, systems, procedures and expectations

Promote positive classroom culture

Clarify rules, consequences, rewards and incentives

Ensure that the class runs smoothly for the rest of the year

Carefully planning classroom management strategies

such as procedures and expectations makes the start

of a new year easier for new teachers and students.

Prepare the Classroom

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Before you move a single desk, consider the

following:

A climate of work is what you want to establish during the first

week of school.

The first week of school should stress large group organization

and student procedures.

Do not over-arrange or over-decorate your room for the opening

of school.

Make sure to visit your classroom a month

before school starts and take an inventory of

what you have, what you don’t have and what

you may need.

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Prepare the floor space

Find the optimal way to work with the furniture that’s been

supplied in the room.

Begin the year with the desks in rows facing the teacher. This

will allow you to minimize distractions and monitor behavior

more readily.

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Choose a seating plan that builds on your

strengths as a teacher

What teaching methodologies do you

plan to use?

What types of assignments and tasks do you expect students

to do?

What is the optimum placement of seating for

students to see the screen, board, or

teacher?

Do you have a lesson plan for teaching your students how to move their desks and then

how to put them back in their original spots?

How many students in your classroom need

some type of preferential seating to meet special

learning needs?

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Prepare the classroom

Prepare the Student Area

Plan areas for students’

belongings.

Prepare the Teacher Area

Maximize your proximity to

students and frequently used

materials.

Ensure that the teacher’s desk,

file cabinets, and other

equipment do not interfere with

the flow of traffic.

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Prepare the teaching materials

Have your basic materials ready for the first week of school.

Ensure that you have enough materials for students who will

need extra basic school supplies.

Store seldom-used materials out of the way, but be sure they

are inventoried and ready for immediate use.

Prepare the Students

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Remember the 3 R’s

Routines: Desired patterns of behavior

and the foundation of effective

instruction

Rubrics: Used for evaluation and provide

a specific definition of quality

Rules: Stated expectations or standards

for behavior

“The more consistently you teach your students the routines, rubrics, and

rules (3Rs) of your classroom at the beginning of the school year (3 weeks), the

more productive the rest of your year (33 weeks) will be.”

Elaine K. Mc Ewan, How to Survive and Thrive in the First Three Weeks of School

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Classroom routines

Organizational Routines: Help you manage the movement of

students and paperwork in efficient ways.

Academic Routines: Include both the teaching moves you routinely

make and the learning procedures your students employ that

ensure success for all.

Social Routines: Behavioral patterns that keep interpersonal

communications and relations in the classroom on a positive and

productive note.

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Use rubrics for students

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Use rubrics for you

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A few questions regarding rules

Will you adopt a popular

discipline model or design a

behavior plan that combines

the strengths of several

different models? How many rules

do you need?

Will your rules

be conceptual or

behavioral? Will you decide what the

rules are, will you develop

them collaboratively with

your students, or will you

do a combination of both?

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Pros and Cons

Developing Rules on Your Own

Pro: You illustrate your control

over the classroom and the

decision making process.

Con: Students may feel alienated

and left out of the process. Collaborative Approach

Pro: Students will understand that

you value their opinion and will

likely not view you as a

dictatorial figure.

Con: You may find yourself

having difficulty agreeing on

rules with your students.

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How to implement rules, routines and rubrics

Explain

Direct

ModelGuide

Practice

Classroom Management

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Classroom Management

Refers to all of the things that a teacher does to organize students,

space, time, and materials so that student learning can take place

How you manage the classroom is the primary determinant of how

well your students will learn.

Effective classroom management practices must begin on the first

day of school.

An effective teacher manages their classrooms and an ineffective

teacher disciplines their classrooms.

Harry K. Wong & Rosemary T. Wong, The First Days of School

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Characteristics of a well-managed classroom

The most important thing a teacher can provide in the classroom

during the first week of school is CONSISTENCY.

Harry K. Wong & Rosemary T. Wong, The First Days of School

Students are deeply involved with their

work, especially

with academic, teacher-led instruction.

Students know what is expected of them and

are generally

successful.

There is relatively

little wasted time,

confusion, or

disruption.

The climate of the

classroom is work-

oriented but relaxed and

pleasant.

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Strategies for promoting positive behavior

Focus on instruction immediately after

class begins.

Familiarize yourself with the lesson plan

for the day.

Introduce what you want students to do

and understand.

Use your strengths/skills to motivate students.

Be positive and encouraging.

Walk around the classroom to assess

students’ understanding and

provide support.

Maximize Learning Time

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Time-savers for every teacher

Establish the daily planner

habit

Give spoken and written instructions

Stick to the

agenda

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Attention getters for off-task students

• If appropriate, gently touch the student on the shoulder or tap your finger slightly on the student’s desk or book to focus attention, whisper a reminder in a student’s ear, or ask if help is needed.

Be Gentle

• Direct a question to the particular section of the room where the student is seated or to a student near the disengaged student.

Pop the Question

• Call attention to the time remaining and then set a timer.Give a

Deadline

• Invite the students who are off task to move to a more comfortable, less distracting location and gently reengage them in their work.

Change Locations

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Attention getters for whole-group discussions

Engage the School Community

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Tips for the first week of school

Introduce yourself to all school staff including guidance

counselors, front desk staff, parent coordinator, custodians, etc.

Contact parents/families with a phone call or introductory letter

Greet students and families outside school grounds before or after

school

Plan to have lunch with fellow teachers

What Teachers Should Strive

to Accomplish During the

First Three Weeks

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Goals for Week 1

Initiate class introductions and provide overview of the class.

Establish Rules, Routines, and Rubrics.

Begin to experiment with the arrangement of desks in the classroom.

Prepare the teacher area for the school year.

Institute how to post assignments and where to post the daily agenda.

Establish a discipline plan.

Begin the development of your default seating plan.

Give out the first assignment.

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Goals for Week 2

Rules, Routines, and Rubrics should all be increasingly understood by

the class, but be prepared to clarify any misunderstandings with

explanation and modeling.

Explain the consequences of breaking rules to the class.

Begin to focus more on your content lessons.

Finalize desk arrangement.

Implement the default seating plan from Week 1.

Collect and distribute assignments on a more regular basis.

Start keeping track of students on a daily basis using a grade record

book.

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Goals for Week 3

Rules, Routines, and Rubrics should be solidified in the classroom.

Discipline Plan should be fully implemented.

Modify seating plan if necessary.

Desk arrangement should remain fairly consistent from here on out.

Start preparing students for quizzes and exams.

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References and Resources

Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2005). How to Be an Effective Teacher: The

First Days of School. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publication.

McEwan, E. K. (2006). How to Survive and Thrive in the First Three Weeks

of School. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Kauchak, D. P., & Eggen, P. (2010). Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a

Professional (4th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2004). Classroom

Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student

Achievement. Prentice Hall.

Springer, S., & Alexander, B. (2005). The Organized Teacher: A Hands-On

Guide to Setting Up and Running a Terrific Classroom. McGraw-Hill.

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QUESTIONS?

THANK YOU!

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